A method and arrangement used to control an automatic embroidery machine, used in particular for the production of labels and badges, for which the individual picture elements are copied from a displayed motive carrier and are transferred as an embroidery program to a storage element, which controls at least one automatic embroidery machine with coordinate displacement of the embroidery frame.
Embroidered or woven labels and badges are known in many design versions, both black and white or in color. Lables, for example, contain product descriptions and/or size information, which should not be visible immediately on the finished product. Badges and emblems are worn on the outside and are used, for example, to show affiliation with a certain company.
To produce such labels and badges, small as well as large automatic embroidery machines are used for which the frame is operated with the aid of punched card tapes, so-called "jacquard cards." For the production of "jacquard cards," a drawing, the so-called "punch drawing," has to be made first from the embroidery motive, e.g. at a ratio of 1:6. With the aid of "punch machines," the movement information for the automatic embroidery machine is then transferred to the "jacquard card tape" by moving along the individual picture elements. The transfer of such storage elements in the form of punched cards requires a lot of time.
Newer "punch machine" designs, which in part are computer operated, can also compute simple lines and edges by moving a pilot pin along them and can transfer them to a punch card tape or a magnetic multi-channel storage tape.
While the maximum speed for the production of embroidery programs through manual punching, by trained "punchcard operators," is approximately 40 stitches per minute, this speed can be increased to 150 to 180 stitches per minute with the use of the above mentioned, semiautomatic "punch machines."
Furthermore, we are already familiar with electronic step-motor control of embroidery frames for small automatic embroidery machines, whereby the control impulses are accepted by an eight-channel magnetic tape, which corresponds to the "jacquard card tape."
In the case of individual motifs, already known automatic embroidery machines require a lot of time for the production of embroidery programs. In particular, no direct control of an automatic embroidery machine has so far been possible on the basis of the displayed pattern.
The invention proceeds from the problem of developing a method to control an automatic embroidery machine, perferably for the production of labels and badges, which results in essentially automatic production of the embroidery program, without manual operation of a scanning element. In addition, it should be possible to have direct control of one and/or a number of parallel operating automatic embroidery machines. The preparation of embroidery programs is to proceed from the motif at hand, if need be, and without use of an intermediate drawing ("punch drawing").